[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor":3,"chapter-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-16":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1510765,1962,"Chapter 16: The Death of Estupiñán","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-16",16,"\u003Cp>Both twin-mounted laser cannons on each side of the mortar turret opened fire simultaneously. Sixteen beams of light became threads in Nareth's mind, and he moved like a dancer on a spiderweb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a slight tilt of his body, he dodged several beams skimming past him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A swift charge, and he evaded a volley of covering fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire! Fire with everything you've got, damn it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tower garrison commander, dressed in a bright red uniform, shouted loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only this way could he overcome the fear within him, to avoid thinking that a god had descended to punish his sins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the fortifications, tens of thousands of guns of all types were aimed at the giant figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth took a deep breath; the smoke and dust rushed into his lungs with the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a split second, his lungs expanded and contracted hundreds of times. The air he inhaled spiraled, accelerated, rotated, compressed—becoming a pure ultrasonic wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing through the organs, vocal cords, and throat of a genetically modified primarch, the ultrasonic wave not only lost no power when it was expelled but was slightly amplified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"ROAR!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The howl even overpowered the second salvo of mortar shells for a brief moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the frontline of the fortifications, the defending soldiers clutched their heads in agony and collapsed unconscious as the inhuman roar echoed in their minds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those further back bled from their noses, ears, and mouths, their bodies swaying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the defenders inside the metal fortress, operating the twin laser guns, saw stars before their eyes, blood seeping from their ears, their hearing overwhelmed by a deafening ringing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth leapt into the air and stabilized his form despite the shockwave of explosions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smoke and explosions did not dull his senses. He noticed another convoy rapidly approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately sprinted toward the nearest defensive turret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still over twenty meters away, he suddenly leapt, legs together, and kicked at the joint between the mortar and the bunker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Howard, who had just shaken off the dizziness thanks to the life-support system in his precision power armor, saw this shocking scene as his vision cleared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shivered. If Nareth had punched him directly, not even the revered armor, considered a gift from the Omnissiah by the Mechanicus sages, could withstand the blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Howard realized that the age of Boleslaw was about to end. He would be a hero of the new kingdom, seizing great benefit in the reshuffling and becoming the wise patriarch remembered for generations by the Fender family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excited, he switched to the command channel and issued orders to the Fender family forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Move! Follow the battle plan and lock onto your targets.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When the order to fire is given, use your weapons to purge the filth of the Boleslaw family!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red-robed commander shouted, executing five fleeing soldiers with his laspistol to maintain discipline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the defensive line began to crumble, he spotted the new Fender family head arriving with reinforcements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Count, thank you for your timely support. King Boleslaw will surely be pleased with your performance in this crisis.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Howard looked at his men. They had already infiltrated the defense lines according to the plan, and the unguarded defenders welcomed their arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his left arm and fired a bullet from his heavy logging rifle while shouting into the comms channel: \"Attack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gunfire erupted, beams of light flashing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth swung a cannon barrel, smashing two twin laser guns. He noticed the sudden betrayal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, he locked onto Howard's location and recognized his former employer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He guessed what had happened and walked toward Howard, casually swinging the cannon barrel. One by one, defensive points collapsed, crushing the defenders inside into pulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Howard looked at Nareth. Compared to the holograms, the oppressive aura he exuded was like a mountain. He now understood why some soldiers panicked and fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dropped to one knee and solemnly swore fealty using the Vostroya noble vow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I, Howard Fender, swear upon my honor and bloodline.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the customs of Vostroya's Muscan people, he should have pledged loyalty to King Bolesław at Boleslaw at a banquet in Nightkaban.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, with no sovereign to serve and no betrayal of noble honor, he knelt to the true king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To Lord Nareth, the new King of Tizca, I offer my unconditional loyalty and obedience.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will fight for your glory and follow your will!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth stopped in front of him, and his majestic voice echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I accept your loyalty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fender family guards joined the fray, boosting the morale of Nareth's followers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just them, the noble lords of the upper hive saw this as a divine revelation. Victory was now certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth was the first to charge into the tower. He smashed through the gates and the corridor, facing fierce resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He noticed that even though the mortals in front of him looked at him with fear, none fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that besides the royal family, the spire tower was defended by loyal vassal houses whose loyalty far exceeded that of ordinary feudal lords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'To shatter the rules through violence and build a new order—this path will be stained with blood.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought arose in his mind, and he felt a flare of spiritual vigor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved like a hunter. As he ascended the marble steps, a scarlet trail followed behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alarms screamed across the spire tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time in thousands of years, the Boleslaw family faced an external invasion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobles led their private troops to the corridors to resist the assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth climbed upward. His advance was synonymous with destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the earlier resistance, this one was feebler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the top of the spire tower, the Armored Baron nervously helped King Boleslaw don his armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn't worn it in decades, and his bloated body made fitting into it a struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Foreign Minister nervously reported to the king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Magos Kaminski has responded. He is gathering the Protectors of the Faith, the Skitarii, and will arrive in three hours and twenty-five minutes. He urges you to hold, Your Majesty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, tell him I can't even hold it for one hour!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>King Boleslaw shouted in terror as he saw his Minister of Defense crushed by the giant on the viewscreen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A giant was climbing the spiral marble staircase rapidly. With every blink, another floor fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elite troops were like paper in front of him; corpses tumbled like waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the giant stopped in front of a lavishly dressed man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>King Boleslaw searched his memory, it was Estupiñán, a collateral relative and the Fifth Arbitrator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though greedy, Estupiñán was clever. On every holiday, every gain, he offered gifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also helped cover up matters that might have displeased the Tech-Priests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the king recalled his loyal lapdog, the giant picked Estupiñán up, and with a rumble\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I should thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have reached the tower so quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he saw Estupiñán's neck twisted and snapped, King Boleslaw felt no sympathy, only hatred for his foolishness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fool! A man like that should've been recruited, not antagonized!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With him, all of Vostroya could have been mine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn you, Estupiñán, why did you provoke him?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1192,"2026-06-06T05:05:10.489Z",1,"novelbin.me","765f86f9a3154245ff1c71746a9b3a39a255fcc3bbdd5042041c61cef12771c4","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-17","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-15",698,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-cover.jpg"]